Staff at Heckers Garden Centre in North Rand Road are receiving trauma counselling and the business has decided to go cashless following a robbery on the morning of January 3.

The owner, Louis Hecker, said a gang of armed robbers cleaned out the tills and safe and robbed customers and staff of personal belongings. He described it as a ‘well-coordinated attack’ that lasted about four minutes and involved about 15 suspects in three vehicles.

“Armed and aggressive, the perpetrators forced staff and customers into the indoor area near the cash-counting office, where they were made to lie on top of each other. They demanded phones, jewellery, wallets and access to our cash dropbox.

“Despite being threatened, one of our brave staff members calmly explained that she could not open the box, as it was inaccessible,” said Hecker.

“As the robbers were entering our premises, members of Legendary Guardians Exclusive Protection, who are responsible for security in our parking area, immediately identified suspicious activity and pressed the panic button, but they were taken hostage in the process.

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“Despite their swift action, the robbers fled the scene before armed response arrived, escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash and personal belongings. Thankfully, no physical injuries were reported,” he said.

According to Hecker, Legendary Guardians identified and arrested three suspects and recovered one of the getaway vehicles.
In response to the trauma caused by this event, the security company also arranged counselling services for Heckers staff.

“These sessions began shortly after the incident on Friday and will continue to be available to all staff members in need of support,” Hecker said.

Furthermore, the garden centre has decided to transition to a cashless operation. Boksburg North SAPS station commander Colonel Mack Mngomezulu confirmed the incident, adding police are investigating a case of business robbery.

Anybody with information should contact Boksburg North Police Station on 011 960 0100 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

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